My Roommate
by Number I of the Tri-blade
Summary: Makoto finds herself in search of a new place to live, meanwhile Motoki is in desperate need of a new roommate. Usagi decides to pair the two of them up when she finds out. Given the circumstances, they decide to move in together. Just like that, Makoto finds herself living with her crush and the two of them must learn how to live together. Will they stay roommates, or become more?
1. Chapter 1

Makoto was enjoying her Saturday by trying out a new cooking recipe she had come across in a new cookbook that she thought looked interesting. She stirred a long wooden spoon in slow circles through the stew filled with chicken, vegetables, and spices. She then raised the spoon to her lips and took a small taste. 'Maybe a little more pepper.' She thought to herself, but before she could grab the pepper she heard the doorbell ring.

Mako walked out of the kitchen to the door, then opened to see her landlord standing there. "Uncle! Hi, how's it going?" Mako said cheerfully but the smile on her face soon vanished when she saw the perplexed look on the man's face. Makoto had referred to the man as 'uncle' because he and his family had been very good friends with her parents back when they were alive. When Mako's parents had died in a plane crash, it was his family that took her in and offered to look out for her in place of her parents. His family owned her apartment building and was even letting her stay there at a very cheap price. Mako probably wouldn't have been able to make it on her own, especially starting out, without his help.

"Good day Mako-chan. Ah, cooking as usual I see." The landlord said, referring to the white apron Makoto was currently wearing. The man bit his lip and fumbled with the hat that was held in his hands. "I'm sorry to disturb you but, might I come in for a moment? I have something very important to talk with you about."

"Sure thing, what's the matter Uncle?" Mako asked curiously as she moved to the side so that the middle-aged man could come inside. Makoto walking behind him and returned to her cooking in the kitchen as she asked, "Would you like to stay for this lunch? It looks like it should come out pretty good."

"N-no thank you, Mako-chan." The man replied then paused for several moments before he cleared his throat and began, "Makoto, I am very sorry to tell you this but….I'm afraid that we're going to have to sell this building. We've been bought out by a company that was interested in building a new office in this area. Times have been hard lately and we were given an offer we just couldn't refuse. I'd like to say it was completely out of my hands but…that's not the case. They're going to begin demolishing this building in about two months."

Makoto's eyes went wide at this news. She quickly looked over at her landlord and said, "Uncle, I'm very sorry to hear that. So I guess this means I'm going to have to find a new place to live….huh?"

"Yes, I am so sorry Mako-chan. I came over here to let you know as soon as it was finalized so that I could give you as much time as possible. But don't worry. I've already talked it over with the rest of the family, and we're more than willing to let you stay with us until you can find a new place. In fact, I'll do everything I can to help you find a new place too. You know that if you ever need anything, then you can come to me. Your parents were my very best friends, and I couldn't bear to see anything happen to their only daughter." Mako's landlord said full heartedly.

Makoto smiled brightly, feeling herself warmed by her 'uncle's' tender words. "Thank you Uncle. But I'd hate to be any trouble to you or your family. I'll find somewhere, no problem!"

Mako didn't want to worry the man any more than already so she made sure to put on a brave face. The fact of the matter though was that Mako had never searched for a place to live before in her life, so she was blindly heading in to unknown territory. Her landlord stayed for around another half hour and they chatted about various things. But once he left Makoto wasted no time in grabbing the newspaper and looking through the classified ads for any apartment listings and circled any that looked promising. Even though Makoto was quite the tomboy, she had a natural talent for running her household. She would have to be, given her situation. Makoto was too young to have a job yet, and even if she wanted one it was against the rules of her school. Mako's only source of money was her inheritance from her parents, so she made sure to budget everything very carefully. Makoto had been living in her apartment at around half the price of what anyone else would have paid, so it would be difficult for her to find anything close to that. But that didn't matter; she'd have to do her best either way.

Two days later Makoto was sitting on stool in the game crown arcade in front of one of the new games. She had her left hand on the control stick as her nimble fingers punched away frustratingly on the buttons. She had no luck finding a new place to live. She thought the hardest part would be to find a place that was affordable for her, but she wasn't even able to get that far. It turned out that most people weren't too willing to lease an apartment to a teenage girl with no job, regardless of inheritance.

Makoto needed to blow off some steam, and she was now taking it out on a new video game. The expression on her face slowly went from focused to intense to frustrated to enraged. She died and the screen flashed 'game over' yet again. "Grrr!" Makoto gritted her teeth and grabbed the sides of the game cabinet, beginning to shake it violently. "Don't mess with me, Game! I'm not in the mood!"

"Whoa whoa, easy there. This machine is brand new." Motoki said as he walked around the corner. He stopped and smiled a little seeing Makoto. He then said, "Oh, hello Mako-chan. I didn't know you came in. How have you been?"

Makoto's eyes went wide once she realized she had been caught and blushed, feeling embarrassed from having Motoki catch her doing something that was the polar opposite of what any feminine girl should be doing. Sometimes she worried if her tomboyish nature would cause boys to not like her. It also didn't help that she was rather tall for a girl of her age, sometimes taller than boys in her school. Maybe that was part of the reason why she tended to be attracted to older guys. Needless to say Makoto would always try to show her feminine side whenever she was around a guy she liked, especially Motoki. "H-hi…Motoki. I was just uhh…." Makoto stuttered out.

Motoki simply smiled and let out a small laugh then said, "I'm glad to see you're just as lively as always, Mako-chan. Just please be careful with the machines, they're kind of expensive."

"Sure….I'm sorry about that." Makoto apologized, but she was relieved that Motoki didn't seem to mind her outburst.

"It's no problem. So, you seem pretty frustrated today. Did something happen?" Motoki asked curiously.

"No, not really. It's nothing. I've just had a bad couple of days lately, that's all. Anyways….I need to get going. I'll see you later." Makoto said and waved to him as she walked through the automated doors. She really wanted to hang out and talk with him some more but she really needed to follow-up on a few more apartment leads before the day was over.

"Heh, that Mako-chan. She's always so lively. I wish I had her energy." Motoki said with a small sigh and then continued on with his work. There was no one else in the arcade at the moment so he started to move around a little slower. He seemed distracted to the point that he didn't notice someone else had come in to the arcade until he heard a familiar voice.

"Motoki, how's it going?" Mamoru asked as he walked over to his friend. In one hand he was holding a small paper bag of food, and in the other a soft drink.

"Hey Mamoru, sorry. I guess I didn't see you." Motoki said then noticed the food his friend had brought in and added, "What's all that?"

"It's for you, I know you have been working your tail off lately and haven't been eating much. If you keep going like this then you're going to run yourself in to the ground." Mamoru said as he put the food on top of the nearby counter. "Why don't you take a little break while this place is empty?"

"Oh, thanks a lot. You didn't have to do that though." Motoki said but accepted the gesture as he sat next to his schoolmate and began to snack on one of the burgers in the bag.

Mamoru watched as his friend scarfed down the burger. He also noticed his blonde friend seemed to have less energy than usual. "So, you've been pulling double shifts again, huh?" Mamoru asked as he leaned his head against his arm which was braced up on the counter.

Motoki smiled and nodded. He swallowed the food in his mouth before replying, "Yeah, but it's no big deal. I'm feeling fine."

"Feeling fine huh? So is that why you've been falling asleep in class the last few days?" Mamoru questioned, raising an eyebrow and thought silently to himself, 'Typical Motoki…'

"Heh, you noticed huh? I only dozed off a little." Motoki said, waving it off.

"If you say so. So, you have any luck finding anyone to replace your roommate?" Mamoru asked curiously. He knew the reason why Motoki had been working so much lately, the reason why he was so tired even though he tried to hide it was because his roommate had moved out now that he was done with school. That left Motoki on his own to pay both halves of the rent since his previous arrangements had fallen through. Mamoru added, "You know, you can always move in with me for a little while if you want."

"That's alright, please don't worry about me. Besides I know you prefer your privacy, probably even more so now that you and Usagi are a couple." Motoki said, smiling as always.

"That has nothing to do with it. It's not like Usagi comes over that much, which is probably for the best when you consider her age." Mamoru commented.

Motoki laughed at this and said, "You're probably right about that. You said before that her father hadn't taken a liking to you, right?"

"That's putting it mildly. Let's just leave it at that." Mamoru said and crossed his arms over his chest and his brow furrowed at the last time Usagi's father saw the two of them together. Mamoru paused as he tried to think of another direction to steer the conversation. What came out may not have been best. He looked away and quietly said, "So hey, I'm sorry about Reika…"

Motoki stopped eating and remained still for several moments before looking at his friend and schoolmate to say, "It's alright. In the end, it was probably for the best."

Mamoru rolled his eyes and said under his breath, "Yep, typical Motoki."

"Hm? What was that?" Motoki asked, tilting his head to the side slightly.

"Nothing. Anyways, I need to go meet Usagi. Do both me and you a favor and take it easy for a little while." Mamoru said as he stood up and started to walk out.

Motoki smiled and commented, "Where's the fun in that? See you around, Mamo."

Mamoru gritted his teeth and said, "Don't call me that!"

Motoki chuckled a little and returned to work once Mamoru had left.

"Aww, c'mon Mamo….It'll be a lot of fun. My mom asked me to see if you wanted to have dinner with us." Usagi whined as the two of them walked down the street early that evening. "Trust me; I know my dad probably really likes you. He just needs to get to know you."

"Last time I went over to your house, your dad literally chased me down the street throwing rice balls at me and called me every name in the book. Plus a few I think he made up on the spot. Yeah, he just loves me." Mamoru said sarcastically as he felt Usagi clinging to his arm.

"He was just messing around…probably." Usagi said then looked at the soda in Mamoru's hand. She puffed her face out a bit and asked, "Hey, did you go eat without me? We could have gone together."

"This? No, I just took Motoki a little food before meeting up with you. I figured he needed it." Mamoru explained.

"Well that's nice. But is there something wrong with Motoki?" Usagi asked.

"Let's just say he's been under a little stress lately." Mamoru said evasively.

"Aww, how come? What's the matter with Motoki-nii?" Usagi asked curiously.

"Motoki doesn't like troubling other people with his own problems. He wouldn't want me to tell you." Mamoru said and hoped that would be the end of it. But knowing Usagi, it wouldn't.

"But I'm your girlfriend, and Motoki is our friend. You can tell me. I won't tell anyone else." Usagi said with a big smile on her face as she made giant puppy dog eyes staring up at the older boy.

Mamoru sighed and said, "Oh alright. Motoki has been working his butt off lately because his roommate is going away on account of finishing school. They both knew this was going to happen and Motoki had made arrangements for when his roommate left, but now something has happened and he's going to be living alone. That means he's stuck paying for their apartment now by himself."

"Hmm, sounds tough." Usagi said then stopped in her tracks as a brilliant idea came to her. She grinned mischievously and said, "You know…Mako-chan is looking for a new place to live…."

"Wait a second Usagi, what are you thinking about? You just said that this wouldn't go further than the two of us." Mamoru reminded her.

"Just because I don't tell anyone about Motoki's problems doesn't mean I can't do anything about it, hehe." Usagi said with a big smile on her face. She grabbed on to Mamoru's arm tightly and started to drag him away, "C'mon! You're going to help the Great Matchmaker Usagi's latest case!"


	2. Chapter 2

"Usagi! What the heck is going on? Why am I blindfolded?" Makoto asked as she felt Usagi's hands on her shoulders, guiding her as they walked together.

"I told you Mako-chan. I found a really nice place for you live. I think you will really like the place but I want it to be a surprise." Usagi insisted in a bright and happy voice.

"This is so weird. Hey Mamoru, what's your crazy girlfriend up to?" Makoto asked. "And for that matter, why are you with us?"

"Sorry Makoto, I was sworn to secrecy. But we're already here, so take the blindfold off Usagi." Mamoru commented as they stopped in front of Motoki's front door. Usagi had told Makoto about an apartment she knew about but had made sure to leave out the part about it being Motoki's home. Usagi also had Mamoru tell Motoki that they were bringing over someone who was interested in sharing an apartment with him; yet again they left out the part about it being Makoto.

"Okay okay. I'm just trying to have a little fun." Usagi said and pulled the blindfold off of Makoto's eyes and then knocked on the door.

Makoto quickly looked around and said, "Hey, wait a second. I know this place…isn't this…."

Motoki opened the door and was surprised to see Mako there with Usagi and Mamoru. "Hey guys. Oh, Mako-chan, I didn't know you were coming over too. So hey Mamoru, where's that guy you were telling me about? The one that was looking for a room?" Motoki asked.

"He's right here." Mamoru said, gesturing with his hand to Mako.

"Hey! I'm not a guy!" Makoto exclaimed then blushed a bit then looked over to Usagi and asked, "Hey Usagi, you said you were taking me to an apartment that was available."

"And I did." Usagi said with a big smile. Mako and Motoki's eyes both widened and they looked at each other and then at their friends, and then repeated this cycle for over a minute. They were confused but were starting to understand what was going on.

The four of them walked inside and Usagi explained the situation. Simply that Makoto was looking for a new place to live and Motoki needed a new roommate. Usagi thought they would be great roommates. Of course, Usagi was thinking more than just that. Usagi knew that Mako had a gigantic crush on Motoki and figured they would definitely end up together if they were roommates. She kept that part to herself though.

"Wow, this is really embarrassing. If I knew you girls were coming then I would have tried to tidy things up in here." Motoki said, rubbing the back of his head shyly. When it came to housekeeping, Motoki was Makoto's polar opposite. His apartment was always a mess and he couldn't cook to save his life. He and his former roommate had been living off of instant noodles and take out ever since they moved in together. He knew it looked really bad on his part for Usagi and Makoto to see in this sort of condition.

"So what do you two think? Personally I think this place is long overdue for a girl's touch, especially if that girl is Mako-chan." Usagi commented, trying to encourage the two of them.

Makoto looked at Usagi crossly then asked, "Hey Motoki, would you mind if I went and talked to Usagi in private for a little bit?"

"Sure thing, you two can go talk in my room if you'd like. Just shut the door." Motoki offered.

"Thanks a lot." Mako said as she smiled then quickly grabbed Usagi's hand and forcefully pulled her in to the nearby room and shut the door behind them.

Motoki leaned back against his sofa and asked, "So….what the heck is going on, Mamoru?"

Mamoru sighed and with a shrug replied, "To be honest, I'm just along for the ride."

In Motoki's room, Mako looked at Usagi and asked, "Okay, so what's going on Usagi? I know you're trying to help, but do you really think this is a good idea?"

"It's a great idea. It's not just a great idea, it's fate. Why do you think that you would be looking for a new place to live at the exact same time Motoki would be looking for a new roommate? It's destiny I tell you, destiny!"Usagi said then smiled mischievously and asked, "Hey, you do still have your crush on Motoki-nii right?"

"Of course I do, but this is a little fast." Makoto whispered so that they couldn't be overheard. She then added, "Not to mention that Reika is still Motoki's girlfriend. Having another girl as his roommate would definitely cause problems for him and Reika. Even though I want him for myself, I don't want to do something that might hurt him."

"If that's what you're worried about, then don't sweat it. The two of them are over, for good." Mamoru said as he opened up the door and stepped in. "Didn't mean to listen in, just wanted to make sure you weren't knocking around Usagi on account of her crazy scheme."

"They really broke up? Why? What happened?" Mako asked curiously.

"Motoki wouldn't want me to tell you about it. All I can say is that they're definitely through." Mamoru explained and then looked to Makoto and added, "It's not really any of my business, but Usagi told me about your apartment being torn down Mako. If you want to live here, even just a little bit, then I know it will turn out for the best. I've known Motoki for a long time, and he has the makings of a perfect roommate. He's also a gentleman, so he won't try anything sleazy."

"Yeah, see Mako. It all works out so well. You need a place to live, he needs an apartment. The two of you need each other." Usagi said enthusiastically then added, "Besides, you really like Motoki. This would give the two of you lots and lots of time to get to know each other really well."

"Well…you're not really giving me much of a choice. You've made such a big deal about this that if I turned down the offer then it'd seem like I don't like Motoki. I don't want that." Mako said then sighed, "I guess I'll ask him about it."

Usagi grinned happily and watched as Mako went back in to the living room, quietly following along. Usagi watched Mako walk up to Motoki and say, "Hey umm, sorry about Usagi. She gets excited really easily."

Motoki laughed a little and nodded in agreement and replied, "I've noticed. I'm sorry to hear about you having trouble with your apartment though, Mako-chan."

"What? Oh, don't worry about it. Things happen, you know?" Mako said laughing it off and trying to act as if it was no big deal. She then paused and said, "You know…it's not as if I dislike the idea of living here with you. I just wouldn't want to intrude though. I mean, this is obviously a guy's apartment and you probably wouldn't want to live with a highschool girl….haha."

"Well to be honest, I actually wouldn't mind a female roommate. But I know that you're a very neat person, so I wouldn't think you'd want to live here. It seems my place is always a mess whenever you come over." Motoki mentioned as he rubbed the back of his head, feeling a little embarrassed at the current state of his apartment.

Usagi jumped in to the conversation and put her hands on Mako's shoulders and said, "Well hey! You obviously just need a feminine touch around here, and Mako-chan is super awesome at house stuff. She makes me look like a total slob."

"That's not too hard…" Mamoru said under his breath.

"Hey!" Usagi whined out, looking over at the dark haired young man who just chuckled lightly.

"Then…I guess if you'd like to try living here then you're more than welcome to my old roommate's room, Mako-chan. I'd hate to see you end up without a place to live." Motoki offered as he smiled.

"You uhh….you really mean it?" Mako asked, blushing deeply.

"She accepts, thanks a whole lot Motoki-nii. Don't worry, I'll help Mako-chan gather all of her stuff together on moving day." Usagi said, answering for Makoto.

Makoto let out a small sigh and rubbed her forearm over her forehead, wiping away the sheen of sweat. She smoothed out the packing tape on the very last box and looked around it her apartment which now appeared quite bare and empty. The small apartment that had been so familiar to Mako, looked so foreign now that it lacked her various possessions and homely touches. Most of her things had already been packed and picked up by the moving company; they should have been delivered to Motoki's apartment. Motoki's apartment. Mako's lingered on that thought. It was his apartment but it was also now hers, it was their apartment. That thought seemed strange to her, yet she couldn't help but smile at it. Even though she felt slightly melancholic about leaving the home she had enjoyed for so many years, she also felt happy and a little excited at the prospect of living with Motoki. She'd now be able to see him every day. They'd really be able to get to know each other.

"Okay! Is that everything?" Usagi asked curiously as she sat down on the empty floor and yawned lazily.

Mako nodded and replied, "This is it. You ready to go?"

Usagi nodded and said enthusiastically, "Sure. Let's go!"

Makoto and Usagi both grabbed the last couple of boxes and took them outside. Mako looked back inside her apartment, taking one last look before closing the door and locking it behind her. 'Goodbye home.' She thought to herself.

The two girls walked down the street, carrying the last two boxes for a few minutes. Motoki didn't leave that far away from Mako's house. "Mako-chan….I'm getting tired." Usagi whined a little. "This box is starting to feel heavy."

"But that's the lighter of the two…" Mako said with a smile then added, "Don't worry, we're almost there."

Meanwhile Motoki was busy trying his best to organize and straighten his messy apartment up in preparation to help move Makoto in. He didn't want anyone running in to a stray bag of trash or something like that and end up getting hurt. He also wanted to at least attempt to make a good impression on his new roommate. That was why for the past few days he had been busy trying to clean up and prepare Mako's new room. His previous roommate had been almost as bad about housekeeping as Motoki was. Motoki was feeling a little nervous about having a girl as a roommate, especially someone of Makoto's age. He had never lived with a girl before so he needed to stay on his toes and remember that there was a lady in the apartment.

The door bell rang and Motoki was pulled out of his thoughts. He walked over to the door and opened it to see the two girls standing there holding a pair of boxes. "Oh, let me help you two with those." Motoki offered.

"Oh, that's alright. I've got this one." Mako said and walked inside.

"Thanks Motoki!" Usagi said and handed him the box she was carrying.

"Sure, no problem. I went ahead and put your boxes in to your new room. But I didn't open any of them. I didn't want to intrude or open something I shouldn't." Motoki said and led the two girls in to the empty bedroom. He opened the door and added, "I hope you like it."

"This is really nice! I can definitely make this work." Mako said with a smile as she sat the box she was carrying then turned to her companions and said, "Alright! Well let's get to this."

With that, the three of them began to unpack Mako's belongings and worked to settle her in to her new home. Motoki was amazed at all the different kinds of cookery and kitchen things Mako had. He knew he shouldn't be surprised though considering her love for cooking. It took a few hours, but once they were done Mako flopped down on her bed and stretched her arms out over her head. She looked around her new surroundings and smiled; her new apartment was already starting to feel like home.

Usagi yawned and said, "Woohoo, we're finished! I need to head home now, my mom is cooking one of my favorite dishes. You two play nice together." Usagi winked playfully at Mako and showed herself out.

Mako blushed a bit then said, "Thanks for all of the help, Usagi. See you at school."

Mako saw Usagi out of the apartment then shut the door behind her. She looked around and could tell that Motoki had done his best to clean up the place on her account. She was touched by that, but she could tell he still needed help. She smiled and said, "Hey, Motoki. How about the two of us work together to give this place a good cleaning, and then once we're done I'll cook us up a big celebratory dinner to commemorate moving in together."

"Sure, that sounds great. Umm, do you mind if I watch how you cook? I'm horrible at it, and I think I am probably long overdue to learn a thing or two." Motoki said with a small smile.

"Sure thing, that'd be no sweat." Mako agreed eagerly. She then paused as a thought came to her. At first she hesitated to bring it up but she eventually asked, "Hey Motoki, are you sure that Reika won't mind you living with me?"

Motoki paused then gave a strange little smile and said, "No, I can promise you that she won't mind at all."

"Oh….well alright…" Makoto replied. She wanted to know what he meant by that but figured it was better to not press the matter, at least not at the moment. If he wanted to let her know more, then he would say so. Makoto hadn't seen the college girl in quite a while, so she was wondering if something had happened between Motoki and her. Makoto shook it off and it left her mind as the two of them worked together to clean up their apartment. Makoto worked on the dishes while Motoki collected and took out all the trash, as well as cleaned up the living room.

"Whew…finally done…" Makoto said as she leaned back on the couch, feeling tired. She let her head fall back and rest on the couch. Motoki soon took the seat next to her and did something similar. It had taken the two of them longer than they had thought. Mako was feeling exhausted after the moving day. She looked over at Motoki and asked, "Hey…would it be alright if I held off on that big celebration dinner I was talking about earlier?"

"Sure thing, we can just order pizza if you'd like." Motoki suggested.

"Sounds good." Makoto said and nodded in agreement.

"Alright. Well before I forget, you should take a look at something." Motoki said and stood up. He gently took Mako's hand and led her up to her feet. He walked with her over to the sliding glass door that led out to the small balcony. Motoki grabbed the blinds and slid them open. Mako's eyes became wide as she looked out at the site. One of the most amazing views of the city's evening skyline was laid out before Mako's gaze. All of the twinkling lights sparkling against the dark background of the evening sky, the large skyscrapers jutting out towards the heavens.

Motoki opened the door and the two of them stepped outside to get a better view of the scenery. There was a cool refreshing wind blowing through the evening air. Mako smiled and leaned against the railing, enjoying the view. Motoki smiled seeing that she obviously liked it and said, "I know the apartment itself isn't very much, but it does have this great view. Welcome home, Mako-chan."

* * *

This chapter took me a while. I had my graduation this weekend and my job has me working forty hours for the next several weeks. I've lost a lot of my free time I'm used to having for writing. T.T Anyways, I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter. I'm trying to keep these chapters at a manageable length. I'd love to know what you all think so leave a review or comment if you would like and I'll be back before too long. (Hopefully)


	3. Chapter 3

Makoto held the knife firmly in her right hand and quickly began to cut up the carrot on her cutting board before sliding the pieces in to the pot of food on the stove that was currently slowly simmering. She had her apron on as usual and was cooking a nice dinner for the night. The only sound in the apartment was her soft hum as she cooked. Soon she heard the sound of the door being pushed open and a familiar voice call out, "I'm home."

Mako turned and smiled brightly as she replied, "Welcome home, Dear. How was your day?"

"It's a lot better now, how was yours?" Motoki asked as he walked in to the kitchen then slipped behind Mako and slid his arms around her slim waist, pulling two of them closer together.

Mako giggled and blushed a little bit and replied playfully, "Hehe, hey I have to finish dinner. But it was just fine."

"I'm glad." Motoki whispered and tenderly brushed his fingertips over Mako's cheek, turning her head so that her eyes met his. He then slowly leaned in closer to her until their lips met. Mako blushed and could feel herself melting in to his arms as the two of them kissed.

_Mako-chan…..Mako…..are you okay?_

Makoto blinked a little as she was forcefully pulled out of her daydream. She looked around to find herself sitting on the couch next to Motoki, there were some school books opened up in front of them on the coffee table. Motoki stared at her and asked, "Mako-chan, are you feeling alright? You were spacing out on me. And your face is flushed, you're not getting sick on me are you?"

Mako realized that she had been daydreaming and quickly shook her head, feeling a little embarrassed once she felt Motoki's soft hand touching her forehead to feel her temperature. "No no, I'm alright hehe. Sorry about that, I got a little distracted. I promise not to do it again."

"Don't sweat it. I know how that can be when you're studying. Anyways like I was saying before…" Motoki said with a small smile and continued with his explanation of the material. Mako let out a small sigh of relief and tried her best to listen intently to what Motoki was saying and not start fantasizing again. She was grateful that he'd be willing to help her with some of her school work even though he had his work and college studies to take care of.

It had been about a week since Makoto had moved in with Motoki and so far it had been even better than she could have imagined. She had never had a roommate before so she hadn't been too sure of what to expect. It turned out that she really enjoyed living with someone else after having lived alone for so long. Her nights were no longer filled with long spans of silence that made her feel lonely. The fact that Motoki was her roommate though made it all even better. Sometimes Mako felt like the two of them were two newlyweds, which she loved very much.

Of course, it wasn't always perfect though of course. The two of them had to do some adjusting as well. Motoki wasn't the best homemaker but Mako had seen that he was trying very hard to help her keep their apartment neat. Then there was that time Mako had forgotten to grab a change of clothes when she was taking a bath. Back when she lived alone, she would just walk to her room after getting out of the bath and dress in there. She didn't want to walk across the apartment since Motoki was there. She remembered wrapping herself up in a towel and calling out to Motoki if he would grab some of her clothes from her room. She had felt really embarrassed at the idea of him having to rummage through her clothes. But she felt even more embarrassed when he simply promised to look away and close his eyes so that she could go back to her room. Mako was kicking herself that night for not thinking of that.

"So you see, this is how the rock cycle goes. If you ever get confused, just try to think it through logically and go with whatever makes the most sense to you." Motoki explained as he pointed his finger over the diagram in the book.

"Oh okay…" Makoto said, trying her best to sound smart. "This is really nice. Ami always makes me even more confused whenever I ask her to tutor me in this stuff. But you break it down really simply."

"I see, well then I'm glad I could be of help to you, Mako-chan." Motoki said and then chuckled a little and added, "I suppose if becoming a physician doesn't work out then I could always try to pursue a career in teaching."

"Hey yeah! I bet you would be a really good teacher, you're definitely nice enough and all of my friends really like you." Mako agreed.

"Maybe that actually would be for the best. I've been thinking about possibly changing directions." Motoki commented.

"Oh really? Why is that? I thought you really wanted to be a doctor." Mako questioned curiously.

"Actually…the real reason that I decided to look in to the medical field was to…uhh nevermind…" Motoki said then paused and looked away, "Anyways…is there anything else I might be able to help you with tonight? I kind of thinking of calling it an early night…"

Mako frowned a little but shook her head, "No, that's all…thanks a lot for your help, Motoki. But now I'm curious, why did you start going to school to be a doctor if you didn't really want to? I mean, I know it's not really any of my business but I'm curious. You don't have to tell me if you don't want to though. I won't push it."

Motoki put on a slightly fake smile and said, "Oh, I'm sorry Mako-chan. I suppose I'm being rude to you. It's really no big deal, and being a physician was something I have always thought of doing. It's just that the main reason I chose it was because…well that way I would be able to take more classes with Reika."

"Really? I thought the two of you met in college. So you knew her before then?" Mako asked but then bit her tongue a little. One thing that Makoto had noticed while living with Motoki was that whenever Reika was brought up, his whole disposition would change. He tried his best to hide it and put on a smile and laugh like always, but Mako had started to see through it. She didn't know what had happened between the two of them, but she could only guess that it hadn't ended well. Mako could tell it was a tender subject for Motoki because any time it was brought up, he'd subtly try to change the subject. Mako tried not to pry since she didn't want to upset him or make him feel sad, but she also wanted to do what she could to console him. She wanted him to let her in so that she could maybe try to help him.

"No, we've known each other for quite a long time." Motoki said then smiled a little brighter and added, "But don't worry about it. It's not a big deal at all."

"Sure….anyways I'm going to take a bath before bed." Mako said, pointing over her shoulder with her thumb towards the bathroom.

"Alright, I took one earlier so I'll go ahead and lock everything up." Motoki said and started to put away their things. "By the way Mako-chan, what about you?"

"Hm? What about me? What do you mean?" Mako asked.

"Well you were asking about Reika, so I was wondering about your love life. I noticed that you never seem to talk about any boys at your school. You must have a boyfriend, right?" Motoki asked as he smiled.

"Oh, well uhh…" Mako stuttered and rubbed the back of her head sheepishly, "Well at my last school there was this one older guy that I liked, but that was all it was. To be honest umm…the boys at my school don't talk to me very much. And I think a lot of them just try to avoid me…"

"What? Why would they do that?" Motoki asked, tilting his head a little to the side.

"Well you know…it's because I'm so much bigger than all the other girls. I'm also a tomboy, and I tend to get in to a lot of fights. I think they're intimidated by me since I'm not very feminine." Mako said as her eyes looked to the side and she slowly rubbed her hand up and down her arm, feeling a little self-conscious about herself at the moment.

"That's not true at all, Mako-chan! You should never say those sorts of things about yourself." Motoki said in a strong and certain voice.

Mako blinked in surprise at the sudden change in Motoki's voice, "What do you mean. Everything I said was true."

Motoki shook his head a little then smiled tenderly at her. In a soft voice he replied, "You're wrong, Mako-chan. You're strong and you stand up for yourself. Those are very good traits, and they don't make you any less feminine in the slightest. And they aren't your only traits either. You're also very kind and you care about your friends. You're smart, independent, and not to mention an amazing cook. Sure, maybe you're a little taller than your friends but there's nothing wrong with that. You're still a very beautiful girl. If the boys at your school don't see how beautiful you are, then that's no fault of your own. They're just too blind to see it."

Mako's cheeks blushed pink as she smiled and said, "You really mean all that? Thanks a lot Motoki! Hehe, you're really embarrassing me."

"Don't mention it, Mako-chan. I'm not trying to say that I know all about you just yet. We've only been living together a week after all, but even in just that short time I've already gotten to know you a lot better and I promise that everything I just said was true." Motoki said. He was glad that he was able to help Makoto feel better.

Makoto took in a deep slow breath as she leaned back and rested against the back of the bathtub. She could feel the hot water slowly loosening and unwinding every muscle in her body. She had been feeling uneasy about the test she had the next day at school, but now she was more at ease thanks to Motoki's help.

A few minutes later, Motoki was lying back on his bed, his hands resting behind his head. He looked up at the ceiling in silence for what seemed like a long time. His eyes said that there was something of importance that was dominating his mind and thoughts. He let out a low sigh and gazed over to the table next to his bedside. He reached out and grabbed a small book that was lying on it. He opened it up, revealing it to be a small hand sized photo album. He slowly flipped through the sleeves of the album, each one held a photo of Reika and himself. Some of them were back from when they were in high school together, and some even further back than that.

Unknown to many of Motoki's friends, the two of them had grown up in the same neighborhood together and had also gone to elementary and middle school together. It was once they had entered high school that they separated. Reika had gone to her first pick school, and Motoki to his. They would still each other on a regular basis but it was around that time that Motoki had come to realize how much he had come to like Reika. They began dating in high school and Motoki had worked to go in to the same college together. Because the two of them had grown up together, everyone thought that they would have quite a fairy tale life. Early on in their college life though, Reika ended up going to study with Africa. No one had been more understanding or supportive of that decision than Motoki.

Motoki knew how important the chance had been to Reika and what a great opportunity it was for her. Therefore, with a heavy heart, Motoki gave her his full support and suggested they work to maintain a long distance relationship. That had turned out to be quite difficult for the two of them, but they worked hard at it and were able to make it work out. Reika had been scheduled to return home just around the time Motoki's former roommate was going to graduate. They had planned for her to move in with Motoki. But that however did not come to pass.

Soon after Reika had returned home and she and Motoki were finally able to see each other again, she received news. Reika had received a scholarship to study abroad once again, this time in England. And this time, for ten years. Ten long years. Ten very long years. Ten very very long years. If the two of them had struggled to maintain their relationship long distance for less than a year, then there was no point in even fancying the idea of attempting it for ten and they both knew it. Motoki and Reika both knew that the only option for them was to part ways.

What did Motoki do? How did he react to this news? That was simple. He smiled, and told her to go for it. To pursue her dreams, and that he would support her no matter what. Motoki knew better than anyone just how brilliant and talented Reika was. No matter what she did, she excelled at it. She deserved to aim for the sky and go as far as she wanted, and Motoki wanted to see her do it. He wanted to see her fulfill every single one of her dreams. He loved her, and he knew no better way to show his love for her than to let her go. Even if it broke his heart.

Motoki made sure not to show his sadness to her, even though he knew she could tell. He wasn't able to hide anything from her. But he kept on a strong front and smiled for her. The last thing he wanted to do was to make things harder for her. He didn't want her to have regrets or second thoughts. He did the same thing for his friends as well, which is why he had never told anyone, even Mamoru, about the several afternoons he had been ring shopping. The last thing Motoki ever wanted to do was to burden others with his problems. That was why he tried his best to avoid the subject with Mamoru and Makoto. He didn't want to burden them with his problems. They were his to bear alone.

Motoki didn't mean to brush Mako off, but he knew that she was a very kind girl and he didn't want her to worry about him. He was grateful that he had been able to find a roommate, especially one like her that he easily got along with. Now that he didn't have to work as much to make the rent he could do things he used to do, like sleep. Motoki brushed his fingers through the leaves of the photo album one last time then let out a low sigh. He tried his best to always put on a smile and act like nothing was every worrying him, but it was exhausting and he was starting to get sick of it. Eventually he closed the photo album and placed it back on the nearby table, pushing it away from him.

What Motoki didn't know was that Makoto had passed by his room and peaked inside through the barely opened door and had seen his sad brooding face. She frowned sadly seeing him that way, but she simply walked back to her room and didn't say anything. She didn't want him to think she was spying on him.

* * *

That seems like a good stopping place. Not too much going on this chapter, just Lita/Makoto and Andrew/Motoki hanging out together as roommates. Anyways, I hope everyone liked it. Leave a review or comment if you'd like and I'll be updating before too long. Until then, thanks for reading.


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